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Old 07-05-15, 10:26 AM   #101
TackyTeddy
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1500 sq.ft. - 2.5 people, Electric hot water, central air, propane heat, (14,000 xmas lights (4 hrs per day) Thansgiving to Jan 6th)

*All kWH is per day
2004 48 kWH used
2005 48 kWH used
2006 51 kWH used
2007 47 kWH used
2008 41 kWH used
2009 40 kWH used
2010 41 kWH used ———slow build 1900 sq.ft. addition
2011 44 kWH used ———slow builb 1900 sq.ft. addition
2012 39 kWH used *** total now 3400 sq.ft.
2013 31.15 kWH used
2014 33.04 kWH used @ $0.96330 per kWH plus $11.71 base charge
*2015 28.54 kWH Used Projected (based with the addition of a heat pump water heater, plus LED’s)

——————————————
*Solar does not subtract from usage ……
2011 6 kWH Sold Solar (@ 0.22 per kWH)
2012 9 kWH Sold Solar (@ 0.22 per kWH)
2013 17.38 kWH Sold Solar (@ 0.22 per kWH)
2014 18.57 kWH Sold Solar (@ 0.22 per kWH)
*2015 17.97 kWH Sold Solar (@ 0.22 per kWH) Projected

Prospective by TackyTed - Solar

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Old 07-06-15, 01:23 AM   #102
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2000sqft, 2 story bldg, around 2001 construction code.

Summer time avg between 14~17kW/hr used per day; with high number being the laundry day (run the clothes 1/2 dry so as to avoid the use of chemical based fabric softener).

The rest of the summer time (heatwave) comprised of fans, fans and nothing but additional electrical fans running most of the day.

Base consumption during summer time (mainly the fridge) is 8kW/hr day.

Winter time can be averaging between 18kW/hr per day to around 23kW/hr day (peak).

some of the additional factor due to the 2 rather old-fashioned cast iron pumps that run continuously during winter months.

Also: 2 hrs of additional heating supplement using electric oil radiant heater in my bedroom (500watts setting, for the hours between 4~6am before waking up).

I'm in the process of installing a Vanmar HRV this summer, primarily to do with improved ventilation during winter time, and also to recover some of the heat lost during winter months through regular ventilation means.

Q.
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Old 07-06-15, 12:32 PM   #103
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I live inland in Southern California. Summer temperatures frequently exceed 100F, and it's rarely below 90F. What really makes a difference is whether the temperature drops enough at night (and whether there's a decent breeze). If it does, opening the windows and bringing the household temperature down enough during the night can mean the A/C doesn't need to kick on until pretty late the next day.

2100 sqft, two story, 3 adults. 2005 build. Central air, gas water heater, gas washer/dryer, gas range and oven. Lighting is all LED, all fans used in the summer have DC motors. In the summer the average daily usage would be about 30kwh (June, July, August). As soon as the 100+ degree temps drop down to the mid-to-high 80s, the usage drops quite a bit. Probably 12-15kwh a day. In winter we don't use much at all because we don't need to run the central heat. I'd say 6-8kwh a day in the winter. Our electricity bills can be as low as $20 or as high as $150.
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Old 07-06-15, 12:41 PM   #104
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TackyTeddy View Post
1500 sq.ft. - 2.5 people, Electric hot water, central air, propane heat, (14,000 xmas lights (4 hrs per day) Thansgiving to Jan 6th)

——————————————
*Solar does not subtract from usage ……
2011 6 kWH Sold Solar (@ 0.22 per kWH)
2012 9 kWH Sold Solar (@ 0.22 per kWH)
2013 17.38 kWH Sold Solar (@ 0.22 per kWH)
2014 18.57 kWH Sold Solar (@ 0.22 per kWH)
*2015 17.97 kWH Sold Solar (@ 0.22 per kWH) Projected

Prospective by TackyTed - Solar
Every time I see the solar paid @ .22 KWh I want it. Our net metering is retail .10 and they are changing that to add fees on us.
.22 is a great deal. how long will that last?
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Old 07-07-15, 03:51 PM   #105
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We use 10KW a day in summer (23 degree average temp, so aircon not needed), but it jumps to 20KW a day in winter 5C average temperature.

We have a wood burning boiler stove, as it was over 80KW a day before that.

3 storey building, 1100 sqft total. 4 people, 2.5KW solar, 4KW solar thermal, 8KW wood burner for space and water heating. Heavily insulated walls and roof.

Our off peak use (7p a KW) has gone up since last week, as we average another 10KW a night charging my Nissan Leaf EV.
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Old 07-22-15, 01:12 PM   #106
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I'm a little depressed really. Looking at my usage since we bought our house we have averaged around 33.74 KwH per day since September of last year when we bought our house just for electric (haven't looked at gas yet.) 1056 SF house with full basement and no central AC but have a window unit running all the time during the hot days. Wife is home all day. Some spikes I can easily figure out like running the dryer as I usually do that on Sundays. Average high of 78.69 F and low of 62.48 for the last 3 months I have daily records of.

Now to figure out what I can do with a budget of 0$.........

Forgot appliances:
Gas Water Heater and Heat, electric rest, running a dehumidifier downstairs. 8k BTU AC upstairs just replaced a very old 5k one with. PC's, laptops, LCD TV used occasionally. Old upright freezer (may be next thing to look at if I can find one cheap/free)

Edit 3: Ok, if I am doing my math right I use between 17-20 Kwh of electric (per day) in the fall, winter, and spring and 50Kwh (per month) of gas in the winter. During the summer I use 50ish Kwh of electric (per day) and > 1 Kwh of gas per day. Dec - Mar this year were unusually cold and snowy for us.

Last edited by zorander6; 07-22-15 at 02:14 PM..
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Old 07-22-15, 05:05 PM   #107
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Quote:
Originally Posted by zorander6 View Post
I'm a little depressed really. Looking at my usage since we bought our house we have averaged around 33.74 KwH per day since September of last year when we bought our house just for electric (haven't looked at gas yet.) 1056 SF house with full basement and no central AC but have a window unit running all the time during the hot days. Wife is home all day. Some spikes I can easily figure out like running the dryer as I usually do that on Sundays. Average high of 78.69 F and low of 62.48 for the last 3 months I have daily records of.

Now to figure out what I can do with a budget of 0$.........

Forgot appliances:
Gas Water Heater and Heat, electric rest, running a dehumidifier downstairs. 8k BTU AC upstairs just replaced a very old 5k one with. PC's, laptops, LCD TV used occasionally. Old upright freezer (may be next thing to look at if I can find one cheap/free)

Edit 3: Ok, if I am doing my math right I use between 17-20 Kwh of electric (per day) in the fall, winter, and spring and 50Kwh (per month) of gas in the winter. During the summer I use 50ish Kwh of electric (per day) and > 1 Kwh of gas per day. Dec - Mar this year were unusually cold and snowy for us.
If the usage is correct, you actually have a big budget. It may be worth it to beg/borrow.... enough for a high seer ductless that will de-humidify as well. It can pay for itself quickly. Many of the boys here have found them quite cheaply.

Otherwise, start changing out one light bulb at a time. Forget smokes and beer (or whatever your vise is) and do it...
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Old 07-23-15, 12:41 AM   #108
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Reply to post 106 from zorander6:
Dehumidifiers use gobs of energy. After reading the HVAC-Talk forum's threads regarding reducing humidity and reading information that said that dehumidifiers use less energy for the same moisture removal as an air conditioner and knowing that relative humidity is a strong part of whether or not a body feels hot, I decided to let the house get warmer than usual and run a dehumidifier. Things didn't go so well, the comfort was reasonable but the dehumidifier used 700 watts constantly, which is 17kwh per day. That's about 7 hours of energy from my normal air conditioner per day which I don't average even close to that much usage. Oddly enough 2 hours of continuous AC per day from my 2 ton is usually bringing the dew point into the high 40's. ..moral of the story is that an air conditioner while it is running is plenty able to get the dew point to a comfortable level along with the not heating the basement, as long as the AC runs a fair amount. Outside of the swing seasons where it is used less, you probably don't really need to run a dehumidifier unless you have a house with too much air leakage or a water ingress problem.
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Old 07-23-15, 05:03 PM   #109
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I may try killing the dehumidifier for a couple days to see how things go. We have some water ingress in the basement (about 1/4 cup per 2" of rain) where the dehumidifier is. Our main problem with cooling is that we currently have one 8k BTU AC but really "need" 18k BTU if my calculations are correct.

Unfortunately the condenser was stolen right before we bought the house and HUD would not allow an escrow to replace it as "it's unnecessary." Sadly both the wife and I have allergies but she loves this house.

Right now the basement sits at about 45-50% humidity on the hottest days.

Several people have told me that I need more venting in the attic as well but not convinced it won't run my winter bills up. Will help in summer sure but not sure about winter.

I've seen temps here from -15 F to 110 F (not including heat indexes or wind chills.) Both are uncommon but have happened.

As for lights we are switching from CFL's to LED's 2 at a time as they are relatively cheap here (2.50 each.)

Is being married a vice I can get rid of? :P
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Old 07-24-15, 07:31 PM   #110
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If you have standing water on concrete, by all means continue running the dehumidifier until it is no longer wet and then leave it off until it rains or is otherwise wet again. My personal dew point maximum is 55 degrees in order to prevent condensation behind insulated spaces in my basement. You need both temperature and relative humidity to determine moisture levels and the condensation temperature(dew point) of a space. I use this site to determine dew point.
Dew Point Calculator

"Our main problem with cooling is that we currently have one 8k BTU AC but really "need" 18k BTU if my calculations are correct."

How long would you say the 8k unit runs continuously on a day 96 degree day with full sun? What temperature do you have the unit set to? How hot does it get at its highest on a 96 degree day with full sun while it is running continuously?

"Several people have told me that I need more venting in the attic as well but not convinced it won't run my winter bills up. Will help in summer sure but not sure about winter."

The better your air sealing and insulation, the less impact reduced ventilation has on the indoor temperature. If your attic is flat with no walls facing an attic(like in a 1.5 story house), sealing up the plumbing, electrical, and other penetrations and adding insulation to R50 and adding ventilation no longer has a deep impact and it helps you in the winter. Regarding additional ventilation causing increased bills in the winter, I wouldn't expect that because if you have snow on the roof, you aren't getting heat from the attic anyway. ..which with proper insulation you won't really get any benefit anyway.

Is being married a vice you can get rid of? - Uhh, I've managed to avoid that vice so far. I can empathize based on the frustration of my peers, but I prefer to stay out of answering this one. :P

Hopefully this helps. I'm curious how big your place is and how many big southern facing windows it has.

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